She Will Be Loved

By: ladyaranella

The rest of the morning went on pleasantly for everyone. By lunch time they were all ravenous. Ron and Harry started shoving food down their throats like someone was trying to take it from them. Hermione and Ginny could only laugh and mutter "boys." They had all finished eating and they were all talking about going to visit Hagrid that afternoon. They decided that after dinner they would go and surprise him.

As they all stood up to go to their next class, Ron gave Hermione a rather steamy kiss on the lips. They earned many cat calls and whistles from the other students including a scornful look from Professor McGonagall, but the moment was ruined by Malfoy. "You better watch out Weasel," he said smirking, "you might catch some disease from that Mudblood. You know how they sleep around, begging for money." Hermione busted into tears and ran out of the Great Hall. Ron shot a spell at Malfoy that would make worms come out of his nose for a few hours and ran after Hermione. But before the crowd dispersed, Ginny calmly walked up to Malfoy and said in a very seductive tone, "Oh Draco." Malfoy turned around and spat, "What do you want Weaslette?"

"This," Ginny yelled kicking him hard in the little hippogriffs area. The whole Great Hall erupted on laughter and Harry walked up to Ginny and said, "That's my red headed devil," and rewarded her with a kiss.

Meanwhile Ron was holding Hermione in his arms while sitting in one of the lesser used hallways. She was crying on his shoulder and he was rubbing her back in soothing, gentle circles. "I can't believe someone would think that of me," she sobbed, "every one knows that I am no prostitute!" "Shhh, I know sweetheart. Every body knows that Malfoy was making that up; we all know that you would never sell yourself to anybody.

This seemed to comfort Hermione some and she sat up to dry her tears. Ron stood and offered his hand to her and she took it. He pulled her up and into a protective hug. "I will never let anything happen to you Hermione," he said, "you are too smart and too good to sink so low as to what Malfoy said you were. I would never let that happen to you because I care about you too much." He smiled his lopsided smile that made Hermione's heart melt and she instantly felt better. "Thank you Ron, you don't know how much you mean to me. You are the one person I can trust and count on with my life."

Ron bent his head down to hers and gave her a gentle, sweet kiss on the lips. "We better get going to class," he said. Hermione nodded and headed off for Muggle Studies while Ron dragged his feet reluctantly toward Professor Trelawney's tower. Neither one of the teenagers paid any attention to what their Professor's were saying. Hermione had already read the chapter about automobiles for Muggle Studies and Ron simply hated Divination.

Neither one of the students paid any attention to their professors or their classmates. When it was dinner time, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny ate quickly so they could go see Hagrid before curfew. Hermione and Ron walked hand in hand while Harry walked with his arm slung around Ginny's shoulder. "So Harry," Ron said as they were walking across the Herbology lawns, "what is it that you and my sister have going on?" He raised an eyebrow at Harry who turned the color of the apples in the Hogwarts orchard. "It's just a really good friendship," Harry stuttered, "like… like…. Like yours and Hermione's relationship. The occasional or actually; rather frequent snogging session, holding hands, deep feelings that go way beyond a school crush."

Hermione and Ron were both surprised to hear theses words come from Harry's mouth, but Ron recovered quickly and said, "Great! You know I was just messing with you mate," he then turned serious and continued, " but if you even so much as hurt her feelings, you're gone off the astronomy tower." Harry nodded his understanding vigorously. Hermione and Ginny were both in a fit of giggles but they knew that Ron was serious, he was very protective of his only little sister; well his only sister in fact.

The four reached Hagrid's hut and banged on the wooden door. Fang, Hagrid's dog could be heard barking madly at the visitors. "What do ya want?" Hagrid opened the door and asked rather angrily. When he saw who was at the door, his face lit up considerably and he gave a hearty laugh, "I thought you youngsters was one of em teachers comin to hound me about them pumpkins fer Halloween this year. I still got four weeks to work on em."

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny stood grinning happily that their friend was content with life and was still the big teddy bear they knew him to be. "Hagrid are you going to let us come in?" Harry asked. "Oh! I am sorry fellers and ladies too, come on in!" The four stepped into Hagrid's cozy little home and went to go sit around the large table. Hagrid brought four mugs over and Hermione poured tea into them. Hagrid was drinking some rum for himself as a treat for dealing with all the pesky teachers and even peskier students.

They talked for hours about their summer and all the activities they did, the lessons Hagrid had planned for the Care of Magical Creatures Class, and of course no get together was complete without gossip about Professor Snape. The students told of how he gave them a twenty-four inch essay on the affects of polyjuice potion. The only one that didn't seemed perturbed by the assignment was Hermione of course because she brewed it in her second year and because she had already finished it.

It was getting late and the Hogwarts quartet had to be getting back before Dumbledore locked the doors. They bid Hagrid goodbye and headed up to the castle to tackle Snape's essay and Trelawney's star charts.

"I give up," Ron said throwing his quill down on the table in front of him. He and Harry had been working on Snape's essay for two whole hours while Hermione read a book. Harry's essay was fourteen inches while Ron's was only nine. Hermione marked her place in her book and came over to sit by the boys; Ginny had gone to bed earlier. "How is it coming?" she asked. "How is it coming?" Ron snorted rudely. "I'll tell you how it's coming. You have a whole 29 inches and you won't even let me see it. I have nine inches and this thing is due first thing Monday morning!"

Hermione looked like she was going to burst into tears after what Ron said. Harry sat in disbelief at Ron's audacity. "I do not believe in cheating Ronald," Hermione said in a calm, even tone. She turned on her heel and walked up to the girls' dormitories and cried herself to sleep.

"Way to go mate," Harry said after Hermione had left. "You screwed that one over big time." Ron didn't say anything but merely went up to the dorms and lay in bed thinking about how to apologize to Hermione.